Basketball passion doesn't take a break in summer

LAS VEGAS, NV - AUGUST 01: Stephen Curry #43 of the 2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team is guarded by Klay Thompson #21 of the 2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team during a USA Basketball showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center on August 1, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. less

LAS VEGAS, NV - AUGUST 01: Stephen Curry #43 of the 2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team is guarded by Klay Thompson #21 of the 2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team during a USA Basketball showcase at ... more

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Becky Hammon will be the NBA's first female full-time assistant coach.

Becky Hammon will be the NBA's first female full-time assistant coach.

Photo: Bahram Mark Sobhani, Associated Press

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FILE - AUGUST 5: It was reported that the San Antonio Spurs named Becky Hammon an assistant coach, making her the first female paid by an NBA team to be an assistant August 5, 2014. PHOENIX, AZ - AUGUST 20: Becky Hammon #25 of the San Antonio Silver Stars shoots a free throw shot during the WNBA game against the Phoenix Mercury at US Airways Center on August 20, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury defeated the Silver Stars 87-81. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) less

FILE - AUGUST 5: It was reported that the San Antonio Spurs named Becky Hammon an assistant coach, making her the first female paid by an NBA team to be an assistant August 5, 2014. PHOENIX, AZ - AUGUST 20: ... more

Photo: Christian Petersen, Getty Images

Basketball passion doesn't take a break in summer

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Stephen Curry made a lot of people happy last month during a pro-am basketball game at Kezar Pavilion. Suiting up for the Bay Pride team, he poured in 19 third-quarter points and brought a taste of royalty to the storied Haight district gym.

"It felt like a throwback to the legendary summer nights of the mid-90s," wrote Tim Coyne, a Chronicle reader, via e-mail. "Back to the days of Jason Kidd and Gary Payton, the same sense of anticipation and then sheer bliss. Once again, free of charge, Kezar was witnessing one of the top players in the world."

Curry was under no obligation to play, but for committed basketball players at any level, the game is a year-round passion. So forget all the talk about keeping NBA superstars out of the summer international tournaments. Don't take Paul George's gruesome injury as a deterrent to players' agendas. Whether it's Kezar, a gym in Santa Monica or the upcoming World Cup in Spain, the greats are going to play somewhere if they feel the urge.

Dallas owner Mark Cuban is leading the campaign for change, outraged at the rule that allows NBA players to compete internationally without intervention from their teams (with exceptions made for existing or chronic injuries). Cuban wants to see a soccer-style World Cup in which the NBA would govern all rules and regulations.

Somebody should remind Cuban that the Olympics and other international tournaments serve as global wake-up calls, triggering interest in the game worldwide. They're the reason his star, Dirk Nowitzki, dreamed of playing in the NBA. They represent the essence of the modern game, epitomized by the veritable ethnic melting pot that is the San Antonio Spurs, and there's no end in sight as the NBA mines talent in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia - there really is no limit.

Without question, U.S. interest is tepid, at best. Just when you acknowledge the players setting aside Aug. 30-Sept. 14 for the honor of wearing that USA jersey at the World Cup - Curry, Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, James Harden, Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard, to name a few - remember who won't be there: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook.

Moreover, do you really care? Are you more likely to tune out summertime events until the Olympics arrive, if then? Former Commissioner David Stern went so far as to recommend an under-23 rule for international tournaments, to keep NBA stars safe and showcase up-and-coming talent.

What people seem to forget is that these events are a lifeblood internationally, the absolute highlight of any given year. Teams load up with as many seasoned professionals as possible, eager to score a life-changing win over the U.S. This isn't the NFL, in which Commissioner Roger Goodell relocates precious home games to places where football will never catch on, particularly in this concussion-awareness era. This is all about globalization, marketing and a sport well established for its universal appeal.

The NBA owners do enough damage by insisting on a back-breaking, 82-game schedule. They should stay out of this conversation and let the players keep their summertime freedom.

Remarkably bad

A few weeks ago, Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the notion of a midseason NBA tournament, and a few national writers trumpeted their approval. For the life of me, I can't figure out why.

It wouldn't involve every team, perhaps just six or eight top finishers from the previous year, so immediately there's a disparity in the fatigue factor. If it becomes part of the regular season, then the schedule becomes imbalanced. If it's merely an exhibition, nobody's going to care; nothing matters until the playoffs. Some have even suggested playing the tournament abroad - London, Madrid, Berlin - and that's guaranteed to kill off teams' interest with such a long grind ahead.

Worst of all, no matter how it plays out, there would be more back-to-back games added onto each team's schedule, when the league should be working like crazy to eliminate back-to-backs altogether.

Another plan surfacing of late - giving everybody a full week off during the All-Star break - makes plenty of sense. But the former is the dumbest idea since the hydrogen blimp.

It gets better

So how about some enlightenment? Gregg Popovich never fails on that count. If Mark Jackson assembled a hopeless group of assistants in Oakland, Popovich has reached the opposite extreme in San Antonio.

Just as Tara VanDerveer obsessively studied Bobby Knight's coaching methods during her collegiate years at Indiana, Becky Hammon - recently hired to join Popovich's staff - is a longtime disciple. She played eight WNBA seasons in San Antonio, and when a knee injury sidelined her last season, she immersed herself in Popovich's teachings through practices, video sessions, coaches' meetings and a seat behind the bench during the Spurs' games. She could not be more ready to become the first female assistant on an NBA bench.

Popovich already had Ime Udoka, the first African to take such a job and said to be capable of becoming a head coach someday. Then he hired 54-year-old Ettore Messina, a storied figure in the Italian league (he goes back to the days of Manu Ginobili and Virtus Bologna) and more recently in Russia. Revered by coaches in the know, Messina speaks fluent English, Spanish and Italian and just might be the man to take the job whenever Popovich - said to be locked in for at least two more years - steps down.

These were not random selections. Through extensive research and interviews, Popovich made sure all of his staff members would be amenable to his brave new world. Imagine the Spurs' first game against Cleveland, coached by another European legend, David Blatt. Present, meet the future.